Volume 3 of the EC contains 342 articles constituting the alphabetical entries J–O -- articles on significant topics ranging from Jesus, the kingdom of God, liberation theology, and Martin Luther to medical ethics, the Middle Ages, North American theology, and the Orthodox Church. Like each volume in the complete EC, this book incorporates many enhancements of and additions to the third revised edition of the German Evangelisches Kirchenlexikon: Internationale theologische EnzyklopSdie, on which the EC is based. Among the new features of this English work are the following:

articles on all but the smallest countries of the world, including former communist states that have gained their independence since 1989;

the latest, best statistical information, compiled by David B. Barrett, on the religious affiliation and ecclesiastical breakdown of each country and continent;

the addition of over seventy biographical articles on prominent figures throughout church history;

many expanded or entirely new articles that address topics of particular interest to English-speaking readers.

Unparalleled in scholarship and breadth of content, the Encyclopedia of Christianity will long serve as the standard reference work for the study of Christianity in the past and the present -- and its trajectory into the twenty-first century.

REVIEWS

Thomas C. Oden"An outstanding international collegium of editors, consultants, and contributors has brought together a vast amount of information in an accessible, readable form in the Encyclopedia of Christianity."

Choice"Broad, comprehensive, scholarly, and generally up to date. . . When complete, this should be the standard reference on Christianity for academic and public libraries."

Booklist"The quality of scholarship combined with the unique approach of providing global, ecumenical, sociocultural, and historical context makes this work an essential purchase."

Hans Küng"In a time when serious theological education is often lacking, this great reference work, basic and detailed at the same time, is of immense help for the study of theology, for practical church work, and for general education."

Ellen T. Charry in Theology Today"A timely and ambitious project that brings together theology and the social sciences in a fresh and accessible format."

Robert M. Grant"Not only reliable but interesting — a rare feat for an encyclopedia. Its range is very broad; at the same time the articles maintain considerable depth."

Mark A. Noll"The appearance of the Encyclopedia of Christianity is a major publishing event."

Catholic Historical Review"A review can only select out of riches. But this will be enough to persuade the student and the general reader of the scholarly excellence, the breadth of themes, and the readability of the Encyclopedia."

William P. Collins, Library of Congress in Library Journal"Sets the standard for reference works of this kind. . . Essential; this is possibly the best encyclopedic reference on Christianity."

Concordia Journal"A monumental project, comprehensive, up-to-date, scholarly, globally aware, richly cross-referenced, user-friendly. It provides significant comment across the expanse of theology, and provides invaluable direction via bibliography to further study. . . It is a worthy investment for the serious theologian or for the church library, because it will be the kind of resource that one will reach for first and often, both to explore new aspects of theology and to review old ones. "